CRISPR Down Under Symposium 2023
Registrations are now open for the inaugural CRISPR Down Under Symposium
This event will link CRISPR researchers across Australia, providing a multidisciplinary forum to discuss emerging CRISPR technologies and their application in advancing medical research.
This one-day meeting will be held in person format on Friday October 27th at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (Heidelberg, VIC). All current and aspiring genome engineers are encouraged to register to hear the latest achievements in all aspects of basic and translational CRISPR biology.
Registration and abstract submission is open from now until Friday September 15th, at crispr.org.
Confirmed speakers:
- Two international speakers: Da
na Foss (San Fransisco, USA) & Ben Haley (Montreal, Canada) - Two national speakers: Pilar Blancafort (Harry Perkins/UCSF, WA) & Paul Thomas (SAHMRI, SA)
- Four local Victorian speakers: Marco Herold (ONJCRI, CEO), Mohamed Fareh (Peter Mac), Sarah Diepstraten (WEHI), Gavin Knott (Monash BDI).
The 2023 CRISPR Down Under organising committee:
- Carolyn Shembrey
- Emily Lelliott
- Christina Koenig
Generously supported by:
Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute leads $4M project creating Australia’s first advanced lung cancer biobank to transform research and improve treatments for patients
Multimillion-dollar ‘TRACKER’ research project received funding boost from Australian Government this week to collect and analyse patient samples helping to address unmet clinical need for lung cancer patients
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, the La Trobe University School of Cancer Medicine, has received multimillion-dollar funding to establish Australia’s first longitudinal biobank for advanced lung cancer, including $3 million funding from the Australian Government’s Medical Research Futures Fund and $1 million in kind support from project partners and supporters around Australia.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Australia, and advanced lung cancer is an area of unmet clinical need as 80% of patients present with inoperable metastatic disease. One of the greatest challenges in metastatic lung cancer is resistance to treatment, hence there is an urgent need to identify biomarkers to guide improved treatments for patients.
A first-of-its-kind in Australia, the Tissue Repository of Airway Cancers for Knowledge Expansion of Resistance (TRACKER) national project involves the longitudinal collection of tissue and blood samples from patients diagnosed with advanced lung cancer across their cancer journey to create a biobank that will help researchers to identify drivers of resistance to immunotherapy.
The TRACKER research project is led by Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute / La Trobe University School of Cancer Medicine and was conceived and developed in a collaborative effort from clinician-scientists at Austin Health (Dr Tracy Leong and Dr Sagun Parakh), researchers at the ONJCRI (Associate Professor Andreas Behren, Head of the Tumour Immunology Laboratory, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Ashleigh Poh), the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Dr Stephen Wong), the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) and people with lived experience of lung cancer.
Project lead, Associate Professor Andreas Behren from the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, explained: “Our advanced lung cancer TRACKER biobank will allow researchers to track the progression of the disease at the molecular level, with the aim of understanding why current therapies are failing so many patients and suggesting new approaches.”
“Currently, without TRACKER, this research is not possible because there is a lack of sufficient samples and a lack of easily accessible technology for in-depth interrogation of small tissue specimens,” said A/Prof Behren.
TRACKER Project lead, A/Prof Andreas Behren
Most important for patients – TRACKER was co-designed by consumers with lived experience to ensure that it would be non-surgical and minimally invasive, from initial diagnosis and throughout their treatment, including cutting-edge techniques to obtain endobronchial ultrasound tumour samples, liquid biopsies, and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.
As a consumer advocate with lived experience of lung cancer, Lisa Briggs, was instrumental in co-designing the sampling collection process and building the TRACKER consumer team who partnered with researchers and clinicians. She explained how the care of cancer patients is at the forefront of her mind and how crucial the TRACKER project will be for improving outcomes for lung cancer patients.
“Our tumour samples are precious to us – they contain valuable information to unlock answers about our care. Knowing they will be safely collected, stored, and utilised to help advance lung cancer research with minimal waste, gives me total satisfaction and fills me with hope. Hope that these answers will someday be found, but also hope that our care will be improved. As a wife and mum of 2 young children, everyday matters,” said Lisa Briggs.
“This research is critically important because I understand firsthand the lengths a patient has to go to, in order for a tissue sample to be taken.”
“No longer will we have to worry about silo-ed approaches to research. This National TRACKER biobank not only offers opportunities for collaboration, but also the ability to improve the quality of research by building on the number and type of samples available for use. As a patient this is an exciting prospect, as it enhances the potential for improving outcomes,” said Lisa Briggs.
Clinician-scientists Dr Tracy Leong, Director of Interventional Pulmonology, and Dr Sagun Parakh, Oncologist and Postdoctoral researcher from Austin Health are clinical leads of the TRACKER research project.
“TRACKER will provide a unique dataset that will enable us to transform our clinical approach to metastatic lung cancer and bring us one step closer to improving outcomes for lung cancer patients,” said Dr Leong.
Collection and research sites for TRACKER will include the Austin Hospital (VIC), Royal Melbourne Hospital (VIC), Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (VIC), Macquarie University Hospital (NSW), St Vincent’s Hospital (NSW), The Garvan Institute of Medical Research (NSW), Royal Adelaide Hospital (SA), Fiona Stanley Hospital (WA), Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital (WA), The Prince Charles Hospital (QLD) and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (QLD).
Advanced CRISPR gene editing technology coming to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute
Game changing technology will accelerate cancer research and potentially expedite translation of new treatments into clinical trials
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) is pleased to share that along with the appointment of new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Professor Marco Herold, he will bring expertise in cancer biology, and cutting-edge CRISPR technology to the Institute.
Advanced CRISPR gene engineering enables cancer researchers to precisely modify certain genes in pre-clinical models of disease at a much faster pace to accurately mimic human cancer. These revolutionary cancer models will accelerate the discovery of new treatment regimens and identify more tolerable and effective therapies for cancer patients.
Professor Herold joins the ONJCRI from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and will officially commence his role as CEO and Head of La Trobe University’s School of Cancer Medicine on 20th March, 2023.
Professor Herold is excited to join the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and steer the Institute into a new phase of growth.
“My vision at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute is to improve treatments and outcomes for cancer patients, and to alleviate some of the negative aspects of existing treatment protocols, helping to improve quality of life for patients,” said Prof Herold.
“Introducing our advanced CRISPR tools into ONJCRI’s existing program is an incredible opportunity to extend on the Institute’s impressive track record of ‘basic research’ leading to clinical translation. This will help fast-track new treatments into clinical trials for patient benefit. We are uniquely placed to do this at ONJCRI, because of our co-location with leading clinical oncologists at Austin Health our discoveries in the laboratory can be quickly translated into patient trials. What this also means is that observations from the clinic can be investigated by our research teams – a continuous cycle of learning and improvement between scientific research and patient care.”
“Joining the ONJCRI as CEO is a fantastic opportunity for me to lead a highly collaborative research program between basic and clinical cancer researchers, striving to deliver new anti-cancer treatment regimens for patients,” he said.
The introduction of advanced CRISPR technology at the ONJCRI will not only accelerate breakthroughs at the Institute, but as Professor Ricky Johnstone, Executive Director of Cancer Research at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre explained; it will also increase the overall capacity in Australia to discover more effective treatments for cancer patients, quicker, as these technologies will also be available for other Institutes to access.
“Professor Herold is a world-renowned medical researcher who has utilized innovative CRISPR-based gene editing technology to answer complex biological questions. Professor Herold takes a collaborative approach to science ensuring that the work he is doing benefits others in the scientific community,” said Prof Johnstone.
“CRISPR-based gene editing technology is a new frontier in medical research, and we are fortunate to have Professor Herold’s expertise and skill in this area joining the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute to facilitate new discoveries and potentially new cancer medicines.”
“Professor Herold’s appointment as CEO at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute is celebrated by all of us at Peter Mac and we look forward to working closely with him in the coming years to enhance cancer research in Melbourne and indeed across the country,” he added.
Professor Herold will also take on the role as Head of the La Trobe University School of Cancer Medicine.
La Trobe University Vice-Chancellor, Professor John Dewar AO, welcomed Professor Herold into his new role.
“I’m delighted to welcome Professor Herold as Director of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, which also operates as the La Trobe School of Cancer Medicine, and look forward to working with him as he and our joint research team advance cutting-edge developments in cancer research and treatments. This exciting new advanced CRISPR technology will further accelerate cancer research into clinical trials, offering huge potential for patient health outcomes.”
Illustration of advanced CRISPR research techniques:
Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute Appoints New CEO
The Oliva Newton-John Cancer Research Institute is pleased to announce the appointment of its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Professor Marco Herold.
Professor Herold officially commences his role as CEO and Head of La Trobe University’s School of Cancer Medicine on 20th March 2023.
As many of you will already know, Professor Herold has worked at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) since 2008 and served as a Laboratory Head in the Blood Cells and Blood Cancer Division and Head of the Genome Editing Facility. He is a NHMRC L2 Investigator, a former Broomhead Centenary Fellow, and Honorary Professorial Fellow, University of Melbourne.
In his primary role as CEO of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI), he will lead research governance, bring together all necessary stakeholders to achieve the Institute’s strategic priorities, and deliver impact on the community through discovery and development of improved cancer therapeutics. This will include forging and sustaining critical connections with industry, fostering collaborations both within ONJCRI and with external entities; and capitalising on existing strengths, assets, and successes of ONJCRI.
Moreover, Professor Herold will amplify the Institute’s research capabilities through his leadership of a new Genome Engineering and Cancer Modelling Program. His research team will be focused on using advanced genome-wide CRISPR screening, including gene and base editing in vitro and in vivo, to discover drug resistance factors and targets that enhance immune therapies to improve cancer treatments for cancer patients.
Professor Herold is very excited to join the team at Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and steer the Institute into a new phase of growth.
“My vision at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute is two-fold; we will do everything in our power to improve treatments and outcomes for cancer patients, but we will also aim to alleviate some of the negative aspects of exiting treatment protocols, helping to improve quality of life,” said Prof Herold.
“This is a great opportunity for me to lead the staff and students at the ONJCRI and ensure our people are collaboratively striving to deliver maximum benefit to the community.”